Summer
by Evito
Summary: Summertime AU in which Ava Ire works at a flower shop where she meets the new kid in town, Odin Arrow. Her best friend, Magnolia Lacivi, has become infatuated with the aspiring missionary, Gil Maverde.
1. Chapter 1

Ava Ire was working at a florist during the summer going into her junior year. She was a small, quiet girl with a natural green thumb. The shop was small but cared for, the owners an elderly couple. The two had taken to Ava, saying she was the spitting image of their daughter. The woman, Ruby, ran the shop most days but sometimes her arthritis would hit her hard and she'd go home early, leaving Ava to watch the shop. It was one of those days and Ava was posed on a stool, working on a particularly intricate bouquet for some woman's anniversary when she heard the chime of the bell on the door.

"Welcome to Ruby's Roses! I'll be with you in a moment," she called out. Dated music played as she slipped a few purple irises to rest amongst the bright sunflowers she was working with. Ava could hear the footsteps as the customer walked around the shop, probably taking in all the different flowers, bouquets, and arrangements the shop held. She stepped down from her stool and seemed to disappear behind the tall counter and the giant bouquet. Walking around to the front of it, she wiped her hands on the half-apron she wore around her waist. The customer was facing away from her, inspecting some calla lilies. He was definitely tall with short, dark hair. He wore a plain black shirt with dark grey jeans.

"Can I help you, sir?" He turned around quickly, looking a little lost.

"H-hey, I was wondering if you c-could help me find s-something my sisters might like." He scratched the back of his neck, blushing as if embarrassed to be asking for help.

"What's the occasion? Birthday, graduation, what? You also said 'sisters'?" Ava asked, shuffling her feet.

"O-oh yeah, th-three of them. T-triplets turning thirteen. I'm n-not even sure th-that they'd like flowers though. I've j-just sorta run out of ideas," he explained, looking defeated.

"Hm. What are they like? Maybe we can find something for each of them today," she said with a smile.

"One of th-them is s-sorta girly. She likes t-typical girl things like n-nail polish and make-up a-and perfumes but she likes to b-be different? She's weird. Then R-Raven doesn't like v-very fancy things, sh-she prefers simple things. A-and the last one is k-kind of an enigma. Oh. Th-they all love purple though." He ended with a shrug. He asked her, "What w-would you suggest?"

"Well," she replied, drawing out the word as she bounced around the shop looking for what she had in mind, "if the first likes girly things but likes to be different, I think a bundle of lavender would be a good choice. Purple carnations for the simple one, definitely. I'm not sure about the last one though. How's this sounding so far?"

"Good enough for m-me," he said, smiling, "though I-I'm not the best at gifts."

"That's two down. What about the third? That leaves her out," Ava wondered out loud. She mentally took stock of what was in the store and what was still out in the greenhouse.

"What about y-you, what's your favorite f-flower?" That caught her off guard.

"Well, um, I guess it would have to be the pansy. It's cute and small but not overly simple."

"Can p-pansies be purple?"

"Why yes they can! We carry those as well. So pansies it is?" She was blushing slightly. No one had ever asked Ava what she prefered.

"Pansies it is then," he said without stuttering. He was smiling down at her which made her blush even more when she noticed it. She rushed around to the register and starting to ring up the order.

"Not qu-quite tall enough to r-reach on your own, huh?" He joked, laughing softly to himself. "H-how old are y-you anyway?"

"You don't just ask a girl's age before even knowing her name!" She huffed.

"Al-alright then, what's your n-name?"

"…It's Ava. I'm sixteen by the way! Not that it's any of your business." At that, she stuck out her tongue in a childish gesture.

"Y-you look twelve," he taunted.

"Yeah? Well how old are you Mr. High and Mighty?" Ava scoffed.

"I'm s-seventeen," he replied as if he had won some battle. Ava was silent for a moment.

"Why haven't I seen you around school then…." She trailed off:

"It's Odin. A-and my family just m-moved here. I'll b-be enrolling in the f-fall," he answered.

"Oh. Well. I guess that explain it." She finished up the order and he payed, both actions done in silence. "Do you want those delivered or will you pick them up here at the shop when they're ready?"

"I"ll p-pick them up. W-when should I come by?" He asked as he tucked away his wallet into some hidden pocket in his jacket.

"We'll have them ready tomorrow morning at around seven, if that's okay. I open shop alone usually but Ruby or Daniel will be here if I'm in the greenhouse. If you need anything extra we'll be happy to help!" The way she lit up with talk of work, you could tell Ava really put in her all with her job. Odin couldn't help but smiling as he noticed this.

"Al-alright, I'll see you tomorrow th-then, Ava."

And with that he was gone, the bell on the door marking his departure


	2. Chapter 2

"Aaaaavvvaaaaaaaaaaa," Maggie whined, "you're not listening to me!" Magnolia Lacivi was sprawled on her bed, cellphone tucked between her ear and her shoulder as she painted her toenails a forest green to match the hair color that she insisted was "all the rage right now."

"Maggie, you know you're not even supposed to call me while I'm at work! What if Ruby or Daniel had picked up? Do you know how bad that'd make me look?" Ava scolded her as she was closing up shop for the night.

"But Ava, Gil said when the summer ends he's going to be traveling with these missionary doctors to 'spread the good will and word of God', whatever that means," she said with an eye roll, "but the point is I gotta change his mind! Or go with him! He's the one, Ava, I just know it."

"And how many "the ones" have you been through in this past year? You're only sixteen, Maggie, and Gil's twenty-one. Not to mention he's already in a relationship with 'God: our Lord and Savior.' You don't even believe in God! Does Gil know that?" Ava actually liked Gil and didn't want him to get hurt. Though he was nice to everyone, he was nice to her and that's what really mattered. "I'm just sayin', Maggs, I'm not sure this is one of your best ideas."

"Blah blah blah, all I'm hearing is 'I need to get laid because Maggie is getting all that fine ass while I'm getting none'," Maggie snickered as she switched the phone from her shoulder to her hand.

"Magnolia!" Ava was blushing as red as a tomato. "And! And! I met someone today and he was nice to me so stop acting like I can't get a guy! I just don't wanna. Not everyone is like you, Maggs."

"What!" Ava promptly dropped the phone due to the loud shriek Maggie let loose and then scrambled to pick it back up in time to hear her friend go off again. "Ava Ire met someone? Come on Ava, don't hold out on me!"

"I, well, I don't really know him. His name's Odin and he just moved here and he was at the shop ordering flowers for his sisters' birthdays and he smiled at me a lot but he also made fun of my height but he said he's seventeen and he was really tall - almost as tall as Gil - and he was a scruffy kind of cute." Ava was rambling at this point. She could faintly hear Maggie snickering on the other end. "But really he's just some dumb nerd and he's coming by the shop tomorrow to pick up his order."

"You should totally ask him out."

Maggie was met with silence. Ava had stopped what she was doing.

"Hello, Earth to Ava?," she drawled, "Are you there?"

"Yes. I'm here. I'm here and I think you're absolutely crazy."

"If you don't take your chances you're gonna die alone, I hope you know."

Ava sighed audibly. "If you say so, Maggs. Maybe I'll ask him. Maybe. No promises. I do have to maintain some level of professionalism at work, you know. I have to go now, I'll talk to you later, okay? 'Bye." Ava hung up before Maggie could talk her ear off. She turned out the store lights as she exited the building, locking the door behind her. Unlocking her bike from a pipeline behind the shop, she stopped to take off her apron and stuff it into her backpack. She zipped it closed, only to catch one of the floppy ears attached to the top of the bag. Bunny backpacks, while cute, were somewhat impractical, Ava thought to herself.

She hoisted herself onto her bike, toes barely scraping the ground as she managed to kick off and start on her way home. The roads were darkening and the streetlamps were flickering to life as she pedaled. Ava thought about that Odin boy and what Maggie said. No. She wouldn't think about that now. She shook the thought from her head and almost fell of the bike in doing so.


	3. Chapter 3

As with every night, the ride home was uneventful. She hopped off of her bike and punched in the garage code. While the garage was still opening, she ducked inside and dragged her bike along with her. Then light in the kitchen was on and a note was left on the fridge. Gone for the night, it read. Ava rolled her eyes and began searching for something to eat.

When she was an infant, Wrathia Bellarmina had adopted Ava as her own child for reasons unknown. Wrathia never showed much interest in Ava as she got older. Once Ava was old enough to take care of herself and know right from wrong, Wrathia practically vanished. Despite not being around much, Ava was always able to get in touch with her adoptive mother when she really needed her. At the moment though, Ava was perfectly content to be without her.

Managing to find some spaghetti left over from a few nights ago. Ava closed the fridge and popped the lid off of the container. She set it in the microwave to make it edible once again and hopped up on the countertop. Once she slipped the backpack from her shoulders, she moved onto removing her shoes. Just as Ava began to relax, the microwave went off with a loud, monotonous beep. She sighed and retrieved the spaghetti from the microwave, careful not to burn herself. Turning on the TV, she sat down and dug into her dinner.

Ava fell into the nightly routine. Come home, make dinner, maybe watch some television, shower, and eventually fall into bed at the end of the night. She had just stepped out of the shower when she caught the blur of her reflection in the fogged mirror. At first, she drew a happy face. Maybe she added a nose, whiskers, and bunny ears. She smiled, then proceeded to wipe away the rest of the condensation to reveal herself. She tugged at her mousy brown hair which was still sopping wet. Her fair skin stood out against the water-darkened hair. Was she cute? She was attractive, right? Not the Maggie kind of attractive. Maggie radiated sex appeal where Ava was tiny and fragile looking. She puffed out her chest, straightened her shoulders, and gave the mirror what she thought might be a seductive glance. Ruffling her hair, she sighed. Defeated, she wrapped a towel around herself and trudged to her room.

Her room was painted a pale yellow color. Dotting the various dressers and shelves were plants and flowers. Ava flipped the light on and flopped face first onto her rosy bedding. She reached out and felt around until she found one of her multiple stuffed bunnies. The bunny was clutched to her side as she groaned into the mattress. When she had gotten that out of her system, she flipped over and grabbed the phone sitting on her nightstand. Ava stared at the screen debating whether or not she should call someone. Calling won out and she dialed a number.

"Yo."

"Hey, Maggs. Do you think you could come over for a bit? Mama Wrath is gone for the night again and I don't wanna be alone right now."

"On it."

Ava was met with a dial tone. She set the phone back on the charger and hugged the stuffed bunny to her chest tightly. Now she waited.

Maggie had let herself into house and went straight to Ava's room. Her friend was still huddled into a ball around the rabbit. She sat on the edge of the bed.

"Come on, get off your sorry ass, come here, and tell me what's wrong while I do your hair. Did you shower and not brush it? It looks like a rats nest."

"Geez, you sure know how to cheer a girl up." Ava's face was still tucked into her knees. Maggie reached into the ball that was Ava and yanked the bunny from her grasp.

"Hey! Give it back!"

"Works every time. Now. Spill. What's troublin' ya?" Maggie grabbed a hairbrush from Ava's dresser and crawled to the center of the bed where Ava sat. Ava complied and turned away from Maggie.

"I don't know. What you said about the guy at the flower shop got me thinking. I mean, even if I did ask him out I doubt he'd even say yes," she ranted as Maggie ran the brush through her hair, making sure every tangle was gone. "He was probably just being nice to me because he thought he'd get a discount or something. Which maybe he did. I'm not gonna confirm that. But the point is I'm not even pretty or flirty like you are and-" Maggie grabbed Ava's chin and turned her friend's head to look her in the eye.

"Ava Ire, don't you dare start that, you hear me? You're beautiful and that guy was blind if he didn't notice, which I'm sure he did. Don't ever let me catch you comparing yourself to someone else or I'll kick your butt. Got it? Good. Now let me finish your hair."

Ava sat and waited for Maggie to finish up.

"Maggs, could you hand me a bunny?"

"Which one?"

"The one with the pink ears, please."

Maggie reached behind her and felt around the the velveteen rabbit. It was Ava's favorite one, supposedly given to her by her birth mother. That thing had seen better days but Ava still loved it and cared for it as if it were brand new. Maggie passed it up to Ava.

"Thanks," she mumbled, "for everything." Maggie couldn't help but smile at the smaller girl. She set the hairbrush down on the bed and hugged Ava's shoulders.

"Okay. Now, I'm gonna leave and you're gonna go to sleep and wake up in the morning. You're gonna put on a nice dress, the one with the sunflowers on it. Then you're going to fix your hair and maybe put on a little makeup, not too much though, you wanna keep it natural. You're going to go to work and you're gonna flirt that boy up. That's an order."

"Yes ma'am." Ava sat up straight and Maggie stood up to leave. No further words were exchanged between the two and Maggie closed the door behind her.

Ava walked to her vanity and sat down on the stool. She ran her hands through her hair, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She repeated Maggie's orders back to herself. She could do this.


	4. Chapter 4

Sunlight shone through the cracks in the blinds, illuminating the bedroom. Ava rolled onto her stomach and groaned. Was it morning already? Unfortunately, it was, which means Ava had to get up. Her sleep-bogged body protested as she dragged herself upright. At that moment, the closet looked to be a mile away. Ava forced her legs to move off of the bed and she stood up. Before venturing to find clothes, she stopped at her mirror.

"I can do this. I am Ava. I am Ava Ire and I am beautiful," she told herself. Walking over to the iPod dock, she put on some uplifting and catchy music. Her voice joined in with the melody and Ava began to dig through her closet to find the dress Maggie told her to wear. With an "aha!" Ava pulled the dress from the seemingly endless void that was her closet. It was a powder blue color with pale yellow sunflowers. Rummaging through her dresser for a pair of fresh underwear and a bra that wouldn't show through the light colored dress. She shimmied into the dress and realized she hadn't shaved her legs in a few days. While she was really leaning towards not shaving, she knew Maggie would kill her if she knew she neglected to do so. Ava rushed to the bathroom, grabbed her razor, and hopped onto the sink counter. Running the hot water, she started lathering her legs. A record was set that day for the shortest time someone had ever taken to shave their legs. She double-checked to see if she was wearing enough deodorant to last through the bike ride to work. Though mornings were cooler, it was still the summer.

Ava sat down at her vanity once again and toyed with the caramel colored locks. Carefully, she opened the box that contained the makeup she rarely used. She started with lining her eyes with a chocolatey brown. Next, she dusted her eyelids with a coppery gold shadow. Moving onto her lashes, she picked a neutral colored mascara. She finished the look with a clear, sugary lip gloss.

She rushed downstairs to grab her backpack, then popped the garage and grabbed her bike. Ava glanced at the leather watch on her wrist. Crap. If she didn't get to the shop soon, she wouldn't be there for opening. Why, exactly, did she have to tell him to come by when they open? She should have told him noon, when she actually started work. What a story this would be to tell Ruby.

On her bike, Ava sped through the streets and dodged as much early morning traffic as she could. Once she reached her destination, she parked her bike around back and checked the greenhouse for Daniel or Ruby. She found Daniel tending to the flowers there.

"Good morning, Mr. Daniel," Ava greeted. He turned around, startled.

"Good morning to you too, Miss Ire. What are you doing here so early?" He questioned her.

"I, um, I took an order from a customer yesterday and I was hoping to give it to him personally," Ava said quietly. Daniel laughed under his breath.

"So Miss Ava has a crush, does she," he teased. At that, Ava blushed furiously and stuttered out some half-formed excuse. She turned to head to the main store and was stopped.

"I was going to call you later, but since you're here I'll tell you now. I was going to close the shop for today. Ruby's pain was bad this morning. We're going to the doctor later to talk about a different route of treatment. It'd break her heart to not be able to work in the gardens. If you're serious about this boy, you can run the shop today but I won't blame you if you go home early today, okay? Don't overwork yourself," he said, placing a hand on Ava's shoulder. She covered his hand with her own tiny one.

"Go home and take care of Mrs. Ruby. Tell her I hope she gets to feeling better soon. I'll call and check how she's doing later, if that's okay with you," she responded with a soft smile.

"Will do. Now you get on and go take care of the shop while we're gone, you hear?" His tone had turned stern yet he sent her off with a wink.

Ava unlocked the doors to the main building, turned on the lights, and began the store's steady stream of soft music. She loved the sound of the older music, Glenn Miller's "In the Mood" being her favorite of the songs they played. Perched on the stool behind the counter, Ava pulled a tattered copy of The Tommyknockers by Stephen King and started up where she last left off. Instantly, she was drawn into the terrifying world of other-worldly creatures. She was so immersed in what she was reading, she didn't notice the chime of the door's bell. A knock on the desk frightened her right off of the stool and onto the floor. A deep, mellow laugh followed.

"Oh, I-I'm so sorry, are y-you okay?"

She looked up to see Odin had rushed around the counter and was extending his hand to her. There he was, smiling again. Why'd he have to smile like that at her? She could feel her face flush as she placed her hand in his. He swiftly brought her to her feet.

"Um, you can let go of my hand now, if you want."

"O-oh," he dropped her hand as if it burned him. "Sorry." He scratched at his scruffy beard. "Ab-bout that order…"

"Your sisters! Right! I'll, uh, I'll bring them right out. Excuse me." Ava darted out to the greenhouse. She closed the door behind and her let out a deep breath she had been holding. Grabbing a storage cart, she loaded the flowers onto it. "You can do this, Ava. No, you can't! I can't do this. I'm going to do this!" With another deep breath after her small pep talk, she dragged the cart back to the main shop.

Odin had pulled out a small black book and was leaning up against the counter. He looked to be drawing but before Ava could tell, he had straightened up and tucked the book into his jacket pocket. "Is th-that everything?" He asked. She nodded.

"Mhm. Do you need any help loading them in your car?"

"If you don't mind," he replied. He picked up the carnations and the lavender, leaving her to carry the pansies. Odin led them out to his car, a black Buick Century. He unlocked the car with the key fob, shifted the pots to one arm, and opened the passenger door. Setting the two flower pots down, he turned to Ava who was standing there patiently. He took the third from her and set them with the others.

"Th-thank you, Ava. I'm sure my s-sisters will love th-them." Odin tucked his hands in his coat pocket and rested his hip against the car. "L-look, my sisters are m-making me take them to the fair in t-town and I was w-wondering if y-you'd think about coming with me? Of c-course you don't have to but I th-thought since they'd t-take off without me anyway I would ask." A soft pink stood out against his pallid complexion.

"What? I, I mean yes! Yes, I'll go with you. When are you guys going?" Ava asked, her hands hiding her own rising blush.

"Is Fr-Friday at six okay?"

"Friday at six is fine," she replied with a smile. "Should I meet you guys there?"

"I could p-pick you up, but I'll be dr-driving my sisters too." Odin looked down.

"That's fine! Can I give you my address?" Ava was running her fingers through her hair. He pulled the black notebook out again and a pencil with it.

"Okay, g-go." She told him her address, he wrote it down, and he put the book back in it's place in his coat. "So, Friday at s-six. I'll see you then, Ava." Odin smiled at her once again and got into his car. She waved slightly as he drove away.

When he was out of sight, Ava ran into the shop and picked up the phone. She dialed Maggie's number and waited for her to pick up.

"Who the fuck is calling me this early in the morning," she answered.

"He asked me to go to the fair with him, Maggs. He asked me! Can you believe that?" Ava was bursting with excitement.

"Really? Did you say yes? Please tell me you didn't chicken out and run away or say no."

"Of course not! He's picking me up Friday night at six."

"Ava, expect me at your house at four on Friday. I'm going back to sleep. Goodnight."

"It's morning, but okay." Maggie had already hung up. Ava hung the phone back on the dock and fell back against the counter. She had a date. Ava Ire had a date.


	5. Chapter 5

Friday crept up at an alarming rate. Ava woke early that morning, anxiety knotting in her stomach. She tried to turn away from the sunlight streaming through her window and fall back asleep. That didn't work. She continued to roll around, tangling herself in her sheets. Huffing, she sat up and realized she was thoroughly cocooned. Ava threw a fit, flailing about and trying to untangle herself. All she ended up doing was rolling off the bed. With a groan, she managed to fight her way out of the blankets and rested her head on her knees. Why did she agree to go on that date? Stupid, stupid Ava. She forced herself to her feet and into the bathroom.

She played with her hair in the mirror, holding it into various styles. Eventually she sighed and started the shower. As she waited for the water to get hot, Ava sat on the sink counter and thought about the events soon to come. A knock on the door startled her off of the counter.

"Ava, darling, come downstairs when you're done running up the water bill," a venomous voice sang.

"Yeah, sure, _mommie dearest_," Ava spat back at her through the closed door, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Wrathia always managed to put a damper on her mood and of course she had choose this particular day to mess with Ava. With another sigh, Ava stepped into the shower and let the warmth envelop her. The droplets rained down on her as she let the water soak her long locks. She was finally able to relax in the shower and she felt the knot in her stomach unwind the longer she stayed. Reluctantly, Ava went about the motions of cleaning herself and gave up the comfort of the shower. She stepped out and wrapped herself in a fluffy towel then headed to her room to get dressed.

Ava carelessly threw on some clothes: a pair of gym shorts and an oversized tee. Hair up in a messy bun, she trotted barefoot down the stairs and into the kitchen where Wrathia was...cooking?

"What's this about? You never cook," Ava asked suspiciously. Her adoptive mother turned around and flashed a toothy grin. She was decked in a stylish, plum colored dress, definitely not meant to be worn while cooking, and highly impractical leather heels. Something was definitely amiss.

"Can't a mother cook breakfast for her favorite daughter without that scrutinous look? And stop scrunching up your face at me like that, you'll get wrinkles." Wrathia laid a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon in front of a baffled Ava.

"Seriously, mom, what's going on?" Ava asked, picking at the eggs with a fork Wrathia had handed her. Wrathia sighed and leaned on the countertop.

"Alright, you got me. I've got an out of state business conference I need to attend. I should only be gone about eight days but I am responsible for you after all. Are you going to be okay while I'm away or do I need to call a babysitter or something?" Ava continued to look down at her food, shuffling the eggs from one side of the plate to the other.

"I'll be fine, Wrathia," she replied, followed by a mutter, "it's not like you're here much anyway."

A pang of guilt flashed across Wrathia's delicate features but was quickly replaced with a smile as she pretended she didn't hear that last comment.

"Okay, good. You'll have my cell number if you need me, of course. My flight leaves this afternoon. Try not to burn the house down." Wrathia left to wherever she was headed, the clicking sound of heels on hardwood echoed throughout the otherwise silent house. Ava got up and covered her plate in plastic wrap. She set it in the fridge for later since she couldn't really fathom the idea of eating at that time.

Ava checked the time on the oven clock. It wasn't even ten o'clock yet. The shop was closed on Fridays but she thought about going to check on the flowers anyway, see if there were any rush orders she didn't know about. She grabbed her wristwatch, slipped on some sneakers, and was out the door.

Biking to the shop in the mornings was always her favorite when she wasn't in a hurry. The sun's rays had yet to reach their full intensity of summer and the world was quiet at this time. Most folks had already gone to work so traffic was low. On mornings like these, it was just Ava and the nature around her. She was almost at peace.

When she arrived at the flower shop, Ava went into the greenhouse. She didn't bother putting on gardening gloves and went to work repotting plants to be sold, watering each and every one, and making sure they all were tended to. She had picked up the habit of singing to the various flora as she worked from Mrs. Ruby. Today she sang a tune, slow and sweet.

_"I'm but a poor, wayfaring stranger_

_travelin' through this world below._

_There is no sickness,_

_no toil, nor danger_

_in that bright land_

_to which I go"_

Ava ran her fingers through soft, damp soil with a content sigh. She loved that feeling and the humid smell of earth was a comfort like no other. She stood to start work on a bouquet of pale green roses and light mauve celosia. Once she was finished, she set it with the rest of the flowers to be delivered. Ava glanced at her wrist to check the time. Just about three hours had passed since she arrived and the time was nearing one o'clock. She washed the dirt off of her hands. Wiping and stray soil from her clothes, she locked up the greenhouse and started home.

When she was safely inside, Ava went about heating up her uneaten breakfast. She ate the bacon and eggs as she hunkered down to catch up on the latest sci-fi TV show she had gotten hooked on. Several episodes later and a knock on the door caught Ava's attention. Reluctantly, she stood and stretched. The knocking on the door became louder. Obviously someone was impatient. Ava opened the front door and Magnolia nearly trampled the smaller girl on her way in.

"Hey, watch it!" Ava cried out.

"C'mon, girl, you look like crap! We gotta get you all dolled up for your date tonight." Maggie was dragging Ava up the stairs, tiny wrist in one hand and a duffle bag in the other. She shoved Ava towards the bathroom and mouthed the word "shower" before heading to Ava's room to set up whatever she had planned.

Ava quickly washed the sweat from earlier and worked conditioner through her thick locks. She shaved her legs while the her hair soaked. After rinsing the substance from her hair, she grabbed a towel and braced herself for Hurricane Maggie.

Without a word, undergarments were shoved into Ava's hands and she was pointed to the privacy screen in the corner of the room. She complied and slipped on a robe when she was finished. Maggie had started some sassy-sounding pop music as she rifled through the bag she brought.

"I didn't think your wardrobe would suffice for this occasion so I took the liberty of bringing a few things of my own to spice you up for your little date tonight," Maggie explained without looking up. She laid out an array of clothing, some so skimpy, Ava felt dirty just looking at.

"Maggs, please don't make me dress like some street walker," Ava pleaded, "it's just a date to the fair, not some sure-thing. I'm sure as hell not wearing _that_." She was pointing to an outfit her friend had put together. Was that even considered an outfit when it showed so much skin? Ava shook the thought from her head. Maggie looked at her with a pouty look on on her face.

"Ya gotta meet me halfway here, Ava. We gotta have you lookin' your best for this mystery boy."

In the end, the two agreed on an outfit and Ava got dressed. It consisted of a white tank crop top, high waisted burgundy shorts with a black belt woven through the loops, and a loose fitting cream colored shrug. Maggie led Ava to the vanity and sat her down. Pulling up a chair of her own, Maggie pulled out her makeup bag.

"Subtle, okay? Nothing too crazy," Maggie assured Ava when given a wary look. The fashionista went to work with amber gold and maroon eyeshadows. She topped the look off with black eyeliner and a wine colored gloss. Once makeup was done, Maggie tasked herself with curling Ava's hair. She finger-combed the tight curls into loose waves.

"Okay, Ava, you can look now!" Maggie dropped the serious precision and was bouncing with excitement. Ava turned to look at her reflection and was stunned with what she saw. For once, Ava thought she looked beautiful.

"Magnolia Lacivi, I love you." Looking as if she might cry, Ava hugged her friend.

"Hey, hey, I love ya too, but no crying on me. Don't wanna mess up that beautiful face, alright?" Maggie hugged her friend tightly. Ava thanked her profusely, not letting go.

"Maggs, I don't know if I can do this."

"What the hell, of course you can. You definitely are after those two hours we just spent beautifying you! You're gonna knock 'em dead, Ava. You look stunning and there's no way this guy can fail to notice that. Unless he's blind, that is. He's not blind is he? Please tell me I didn't just spend two hours dolling you up for a blind guy." Ava managed a laugh.

"No, Maggie, he's not blind. I've just never really been on a date before. It's nerve wracking."

"You'll do fine, hun, trust me." She kissed Ava's forehead and chuckled.

The doorbell rang, causing both girls to look at each other.

"He's here!"


	6. Chapter 6

Odin was shuffling his feet, waiting for someone to answer the door. What if she gave him the wrong address? Did she actually have some interest in him? Is this just some joke to her? Odin shooed the thoughts from his head and took a deep breath. He realized his scruff had grown out and he wondered if he should have shaved. Lost in thought, he was startled when the door opened. Odin's mile-a-minute train of thought came to a sudden stop at what stepped out of the house.

Ava was at the door, her friend shadowing her. Maggie gripped Ava's shoulder with a finely manicured hand.

"Now before I release Ava into your custody, you are going to promise me you'll have her home in one piece, got it?" The older girl could be pretty intimidating when she wanted to be.

Odin nodded solemnly and before he could even open his mouth to reply, Ava was shoved into his chest with a, "You kiddies have fun and be home by midnight!" The door slammed shut behind them.

Odin gently dislodged a flustered Ava from the front of his shirt. He gestured for her to walk forward and scratched at the back of his neck.

"Did you do all this?" he asked as he walked towards his running car, nodding to the flowers that lined the walkway.

"Wh-what? Oh yeah. Wrathia tells me that Black-Eyed Susan's were my mom's favorite flowers, so we planted those together." Odin thought to ask about her mother but thought otherwise when they reached the car. He opened the car door for her and then walked around to enter the car himself. Ava noted the music with prominent resonator guitar played faintly in the background. Over the sound of girlish giggling, Odin spoke up.

"Ava, these are my sisters. Raven, Crow, Meryl, play nice or I'll tell Olai."

"Yes, mom," the three replied in eerie harmony and continued on to quietly talk amongst themselves.


	7. Chapter 7

The ride to the fair was uneventful, though dotted with the occasional fits of laughter from the backseat. The sisters piled out before Odin even took the keys out of the ignition. Ava and Odin followed the three to the ticket stand. Luckily the line wasn't too long.

After the five of them got their tickets, Odin attempted small talk with Ava as they walked, but the triplets kept butting in.

"Wow, Ava, you're really heckin' cute. How'd this big dork get you to agree to a date?" At this, Ava grew red but Odin swooped in to save her, and himself, some embarrassment.

"Crow, what's with the get-up? You never wear that much makeup." It was Crow's turn to blush.

"Crow's got a date with Merita tonight and," Raven started. Meryl added behind her hand, "she wanted to look nice for her."

"Wh- Excuse me! A d-date?" Odin shrieked, "You're b-barely thirteen y-years old! You're way t-too young f-f-for dates! How could you p-possibly h-h-handle a date?" Odin threw his hands up in exasperation, "I mean you s-s-still suck your thumb in your sleep f-for crying out loud!"

Crow's face was twisted in anger and embarrassment. Raven and Meryl stood on either side of her, hands on their hips.

"Wow. Rude, Odin. Real heckin' rude of you!" Raven scolded her older brother. Meryl chimed in with, "Sheesh, Crow, are ya gonna let this chump talk to you like that or what?"

The quieter sister was livid. She huffed up her cheeks and let her emotions fly.

"My name's Odin and I'm the date expert!" She yelled, putting on a gruff voice. "Crow, you're too young to go on a date 'cause I'm a jealous eighteen year old virgin nerd lord!" Her hands were on her bright red face as she mocked her brother. "Crow's gonna steal away all the girls that are just _throwing_ themselves at me!"

Meryl and Raven cackled loudly as Crow stood in a now silent agitation.

"Slammed!" Raven belted as she threw her hand in the air, "Up high, Crow!"

"I d-don't sound like that," Odin grumbled before he grabbed Ava's hand and stormed off towards the crowd of people.


	8. Chapter 8

Odin steered through the masses until he came upon a semi-secluded area, Ava trailing behind him. The two stood in silence as Odin tried to steady his breathing. Ava could tell he was embarrassed by his sisters.

"I'm s-sorry you had to h-hear th-that," he mumbled.

"Hear what?" Ava replied. Odin looked up to see her smiling softly and felt his own lips curl into a smile. Odin extended his hand to Ava and she took it even though she could feel her ears and cheeks burning brightly.

They wandered throughout the fair until Ava spotted a stand filled with stuffed animals and pulled Odin over to it. It was a shooting game and Ava just had to try her hand at it. Odin shadowed her as she tried and failed to knock over all of the bottles. Just as she was turning to walk away, Odin placed a hand on her shoulder.

"L-let me try."

Odin had never really enjoyed silly games such as this one but something about that defeated look on Ava's face convinced him that he absolutely had to get her that stuffed animal. Attempt number one was close but not close enough with all but three bottles remaining. He faintly heard Ava say something about how it wasn't really that important but he just held up his hand. He was going to win, damnit.

Two more tries and a triumphant Odin pointed out a red and purple fox that was just barely smaller than Ava. Her face lit up and she her grin was ear to ear as Odin handed her the toy. She clutched it tightly in one arm and wrapped the other around Odin's waist.

"Thank you," she said though her voice was muffled by his jacket. Odin was stunned for a moment before he awkwardly returned the gesture.

Ava and Odin stopped at a few other stalls as they meandered about, finally beginning to allow themselves to relax in the other's presence. Ava just had to have cotton candy in both pink and blue and Odin bought himself a box of popcorn, insisting that he didn't care for sweets.

"Oh, come on! Who doesn't like cotton candy?" Ava said, still trying to get her date to eat some of the candy.

"I d-don't. It's j-just flavored sugar," he insisted with a shrug. At last, they had come to a stop at the ferris wheel. "Do you w-want to ride this?" he asked her.

"Can we, please?" Ava looked so excited as Odin handed the worker two tickets. They were soon ushered onto the giant wheel, the stuffed fox sitting between the two. Ava fiddled with her necklace as she tried to come up with something to say.

"So, did your sisters like the flowers?" she asked tentatively. Odin shifted in his seat, probably remember the fiasco from earlier that day.

"I th-think. Meryl did at l-least. Raven and Cr-Crow are picky b-but I like to think they at least ap-p-preciated the thought." Ava sat, thinking carefully about what she was about to say.

"Well, um, I'm glad you bought them flowers. At least flowers my Ruby's, that is, because," she stopped to take a breath, "I got to meet you." She worried she may have said that last bit a little too quickly or that it was just dumb to say at all when Odin was quiet.

"I'm gl-glad I got to meet you t-too," he said softly. She looked over to him and watched as he stared out over the fair. His pale features stood stark against his dark clothes and hair. She hadn't realized he turned to look at her until they made eye contact. She instantly looked the other way as they began their descent from the ride.

Once they were off, Odin texted his sisters that it was time to go. As they walked to his car, Ava realized just how cold the breeze was. After the second time Odin saw her pull her shrug tighter around herself, he slipped his jacket over her shoulders. She smiled up at him in thank, pushing her arms through the sleeves.

By the time they reached the car, Odin's sisters were already there waiting. The huffed impatiently as Odin unlocked the car and opened the passenger door for Ava. Once everyone was buckled in, Odin pulled out of the parking lot.

It didn't take long to get to Ava's home but all three of the sisters were passed out in the backseat, sprawled across each other in ways that didn't look even remotely comfortable. Ava grabbed her fluffy fox and Odin walked her to the door.

"Thank you, Odin. This was nice," she smiled at him. It took standing on her tip toes but Ava managed to lay a kiss on Odin's cheek before she left him standing alone on the porch with, "Come by the shop sometime." Once she closed the door, Odin let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Unbeknownst to him, she was doing the same.


End file.
